A Sneak Peek at the Future of In-Car Information Systems

D: The exhibition floor at last week's Telematics Update Detroit 2012 was lined with vendors showing off the latest in-car software, hardware and wireless services for connected cars. Goliaths such as Verizon, Ericsson and Pioneer shared the floor with a bevy of smaller, lesser-known brands vying to provide the next generation of in-car information systems. Here are three products we'll be keeping tabs on.

PLDS Wireless-Charging Solution

PLDS Wireless-Charging Solution

If one thing is for sure in the telematics industry, it's that your phone is going to play an increasingly pivotal role in your car. Of course, more tasks means more battery drain, and nobody wants to constantly deal with that pesky charging cord. The PLDS wireless-charging station could change all of that. Inductive charging stations have been available for a few years now, but PLDS and Convenient Power are attempting to build a charging base that meets car safety standards and the standards of the Wireless Power Consortium, which has created the Qi standard for wireless-charging stations and devices like mobile phones. This means that any phone with the required hardware can be charged by simply placing it on the pad. The charger is still a few steps away from implementation--for example, they need to figure out a way to ensure your phone doesn't become a dangerous projectile during an accident. But hopefully sometime in the not-too-distant future, your phone will be able to charge cord-free while simultaneously streaming your favorite Internet radio stations. Aside from getting their charging stations built into new vehicles, PLDS also hopes to put out aftermarket stations for use in any vehicle.

Note: The phone in the image is an iPhone, and Apple hasn't opted into the Wireless Power Consortium's charging standards. Until they do, iPhones would require an extra sleeve to work with the wireless-charging station.

H2i Technologies Whaptics Touchless Touch

H2i Technologies Whaptics Touchless Touch

The Whaptics Touchless Touch is a gesture-recognition system already used in Europe for household items such as kitchen appliances and lamps. A simple row of LEDs register movements along an X-Y axis and feeds that information to an 8-bit CPU. That keeps the system cheap, too: One member of the team said the smaller sensors could be made for $10 or less. Combine the inexpensive cost with the untapped possibilities of gesture recognition in a car, and there's a good chance Whaptics Touchless Touch could gain traction with some auto manufacturers. The booth got a lot of attention at the TU Detroit 2012, and for good reason. Imagine skipping songs with a mere wave of your hand, eliminating the need to take your eyes off the road or clutter the wheel with buttons.